Parks and nature
a woodland park with old beeches next to the Las Murckowski reserve, a former mine park
Parks and nature
forest reserve on the slopes of Wanda Hill with an old beech stand and the sources of the Przyrwa stream
Mountains
short green trail with a view of the Przyrwa reservoir and the Kosztowy mast
Churches and monasteries
single-nave brick church with a tower, built in 1931-1934
Industrial heritage
road lined with birches linking the former station in Murcki with the mine, on the heritage register since 1949
Places with character
valley in Murcki with a pond and a water garden, a bison enclosure in the 19th century
Places of remembrance
a forest grave of Hungarian soldiers shot in January 1945
Places with character
the former Murcki market square with modernist tenement houses and a figure of St Barbara
a black trail from Ochojec to Lędziny through the Ochojec reserve and the Murcki Forests
Historic sites
the former Hochberg department store with a clock on the mansard, the centre of the Murcki estate
Historic sites
the Hochberg villa of 1905 on Wzgórze Wandy, entered in the heritage register in 2023
What to see in Murcki: Dolinka Murckowska, the Las Murckowski nature reserve, the Hochberg estate and walking trails south of Katowice.
Murcki is a wooded district of Katowice whose landscape is formed by beech old-growth forests, the Przyrwa stream and a former company estate. It is a good address for a day outdoors, with short walks and a few historic buildings on the way.
Start with Dolinka Murckowska, a recreation area in the valley of the Przyrwa river, with a pond, a water garden and trails. A bison enclosure was set up here in 1865, and today it is a well-kept corner from which hiking trails set off. From the Dolinka runs, for example, the Wesoła Fala Trail, a green PTTK trail about 2.7 km long to the Wesoła Fala resort in Mysłowice.
Nearby see the Las Murckowski nature reserve, which protects a remnant of the old Silesian Forest: a mixed forest with beech old-growth on the slopes of Wanda Hill and the springs of the Przyrwa stream. The reserve has the restrictions typical of protected areas, so keep to the trails. Murcki Park, of 9.83 ha, is a forest park with beech old-growth, between ulica Bielska and ulica Pawła Kołodzieja.
Murcki is a former company estate of the Hochberg family. The centre is plac Jana Kasprowicza, the former market square of the district, with modernist buildings from the early 20th century and a figure of Saint Barbara. Until 1975 it served as a marketplace.
It is dominated by the former Princely Trading House, the Konsum from 1905-1908, designed by Alfred Malpricht, the largest commercial building of the estate, entered in the register of monuments in 2021. From the same period comes the small palace of the princes of Pszczyna from 1905 at ulica Bielska 1, today a kindergarten, so you see it from outside.
A trace of the railway and the mine is the birch avenue, a road lined with birches leading from the railway station of about 1870 to the mine. It was entered in the register of monuments in 1949. The brick Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on ulica Solskiego was built in 1931-1934 to a design by Zygmunt Gawlik.
Besides the Wesoła Fala Trail, the Ochojec Trail crosses the district, a black PTTK trail from Ochojec to Lędziny, about 17-18 km long. It has sections in several districts and towns, so in Murcki you will walk only a fragment. For an excursion of a few hours, combine the Dolinka, the reserve and a short trail.
In the forest near ulica Węgierska lies the grave of Hungarian soldiers, a mound of 29 soldiers shot on 28 January 1945, with plaques from 2011 and 2013. It is a place for reflection, not recreation.
Dolinka Murckowska, the Las Murckowski reserve and plac Kasprowicza with the Konsum. For the determined, add the Wesoła Fala Trail.
Yes, Las Murckowski protects beech old-growth on the slopes of Wanda Hill.
The park, the reserve, the trails and the Dolinka are open to all without charge.
No, it houses a kindergarten. You can see it from outside.
